Rick Redbeard isn’t helping my pirate fascination, and I walk in expecting to see a crafty Edward Teach type, though perhaps a little less walk-the-plank and rather more yo-ho-ho (with the obligatory bottle of rum).
Quite disappointingly The Phantom Band’s Rick isn’t really a pirate, but I heard pirates are rubbish at playing touching, Will Oldham-style, confessional acoustic music anyway, so I think I’m better off with Rick. His songs are crafted and achingly fragile at times, and the brave move of solo acoustic performance pays off completely. He tells us, in a drawling mumble, that his sister often accompanies his wistful vocals, layering a higher harmony, and perhaps this is something missed tonight, but overall his performance is genuine and heartfelt. “There’s a fire in there if you care to light it” he tells whoever cares to listen, and it sounds tonight like he has cast the first spark.
How To Swim’s frontman Ink Wilson throws everything into their headline performance, flailing and sweating in the cramped sauna that the 13th Note has become. The size of the crowd shows the respect HTS have garnered and it is certainly well deserved. On stage eight members and one honorary guitarist (JJ Mills) crush into the space, practically merging with the audience, and this is part of the magic, the music so close you can taste it.
The visceral darkness of the sentiment blends with the carnival spirit embodied by each member, brass section blasting hook after hook, Ink embellishing every lyric like a Deep South preacher. The songs stand alone, yet the set tonight feels more like a novel than a disparate collection, a dextrous art. ‘Bones’ is a standout track, the echoing chant of the title running through as Ink insists “everything’s gonna be fine” with a devilish smirk that assures us there are collisions ahead. ‘Liquorice Kiss’ remains a crowd pleaser, the upbeat celebratory brass forcing feet to dance, and it almost seems natural to expect a few ‘Hallelujah’s’ from the back as Ink leads us further into his world. Finally a new track is thrown in, a growling pacy number, and we’re assured that there’s more enchantment to come from arguably one of Scotland’s most exciting bands of the moment.
Photos of How To Swim, The State Broadcasters, and Rick Redbeard at Heidi Kuisma’s flickr pages